


Trails of Separation

by EvelynsGrave



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Background Relationships, Basically Leon has abandonment issues, F/M, Missing Scene, One Shot, Original Character(s), Vignette, inspired by headcanons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 12:16:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18591109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvelynsGrave/pseuds/EvelynsGrave
Summary: It’s his turn now. He wasn’t going to pass up the chance to be the one to say goodbye.Inspired by Claire’s Epilogue in the RE3 Epilogue Files





	Trails of Separation

**Author's Note:**

> Originally inspired by Claire’s Epilogue in the RE3 Epilogue Files where Leon sounded angry at her for leaving to find Chris. Some said its non-canon or mistranslated, but I decided to play around with the idea and added my headcanon that Leon has abandonment issues (hence being very emotionally affected by each loss he suffers from). I also alluded to that small detail in the original RE2 that Leon was drunk from a breakup before coming to Raccoon City, but had Remake!Leon in mind for this fic. I know everyone thinks he’s a soft, naive boi but in this story he is too trusting because he’s a little damaged. 
> 
> This work is not beta’d and english isnt my first language so sorry for mistakes

_Every night, as Sherry lay in her bed dreaming, they would talk about themselves for hours. They talked about the past, about who they were before the life-changing event that neither of them were prepared for and the horrors they separately encountered. About the future which literally meant tomorrow as they found it daunting to plan too far ahead. Getting to know each other well seemed the natural thing to do. They all agreed that they’d be fine as long as they stick together, just like he said._

__

_It just happened one night. Neither of them saw it coming, but in the back of their minds it’s as if they knew it was inevitable. They happened to have their faces too close to each other’s while she was redressing his wound. Next thing they knew their lips were locked and they were on the floor, hands exploring. One article of clothing discarded right after the other, and after a gruff reassurance from her, he was inside her, face buried in the crook of her neck to muffle his moans. She bit her bottom lip to stifle hers._

__

_It was awkward, intense and hasty. But passionate by all means. It wasn’t exactly what they meant by getting to know each other better, Claire thought and laughed internally. And yet there they were. They had to make the best out of the situation— and that they did, releasing weeks of pent-up tension that was getting harder and harder to ignore. They were happy to be alive. They were happy to have survived together. All that mattered at that moment was the here and now._

__

_He wanted her to hold him when it was all over. As she looked at his face, eyes closed, beaming with content, she thought he was the most precious thing in the world._

__

_The next day he avoided her like she had caught the virus._

__

_Claire’s heart leaped to her throat. Is this it? Have they finally ruined it? She figured that she needed to give him— and herself— some space, but she isn’t the type that would let it wait for too long. She was hurt and confused but already handling it better than he was. By god he was so awkward sometimes, she thought, but he is a good person. She’s sure of it. Maybe too nice even. Easily trusting, eager to please, selfless to a fault, easily... attached?_

__

_Did she just figure it out?_

__

_She brushed her thoughts aside and waited for their usual late-night talks (that she knew was not gonna happen that night but she will make it happen by all means). He was usually very open and unafraid to share his feelings, or at least he led her to believe that they were that comfortable with each other. That night, he was hesitant. Worrisome. Afraid. He was mostly pondering on the question— what now? Except he really was asking no one in particular, which made her glad that it was not directed at her because she didn’t know the answer either. She realized that night that this person— this strong, optimistic, idealistic person whose sheer positivity and willpower have been her reason not to give up, was just as equally reliant on her._

__

_She comforted him with the only promise she knew she could keep: “No matter what happens tomorrow, I’ll always be there for you”._

~

When he told his dad what he wanted for a career, he spent the next three months convincing him to abandon his plans. 

Little did he know that he was already accepted at the academy. “It’s your fault for getting me into those crime movies”, Leon joked as they were out in the woods hunting, rifle in hand. His dad shook his head quietly but he was smiling. A sad sort of smile, if he’s seen such a thing. 

He never fully understood why he disapproved as he always thought he groomed him to be attracted to those kinds of professions. He taught him about guns, made him take self-defense classes and worked as a safety officer himself, making sure people in the workplace are following regulations. It wasn’t until he was 20 and almost done with police training that someone told him exactly why. His father had married late, and perhaps in an effort to bond with him, his new stepmom told him, “If you get killed, he’s left with nothing. A parent should be buried by their children. Not the other way around”. Leon realized this beforehand, he wasn’t _that_ dense, but somehow it made more sense when someone else said it. 

He wondered if his other parent would be as disapproving. 

The person was ‘mom’ by default. In truth, he knew close to nothing about her, save for her first name and what she used to look like, which was becoming more and more of a distant memory as the years went by. He was 7 when he last saw her. She would talk to him, fix him meals, buy him presents, but was distant in a way he couldn’t explain. They would have fun in the amusement park one day; the next few days she would act like she’d had enough of him for the time being. Most days she would go about their routine in a rather soulless manner, apathy in her eyes and words.

One day she left and never came back. 

When he graduated from the academy, he got a letter of congratulations from her in the mail. Funny, Leon thought, she used to sign her letters with “Mom”, but as if to hammer a point— this time she signed it with her first name: “Lena”. 

~

Leon had a disdain for people who are too critical, as he was never a judgmental person himself. He believed that people are inherently good, and for the others who are not, he never fails to give them the benefit of the doubt. These qualities would make him exemplary in public service, but too much faith in others is a little too detrimental— or so he was told by Sabrina. They’ve been dating for close to a year. She was a few years older and had a knack of giving him sound advice about almost everything, something he felt he needed more. Over the course of time appreciation turned to dread. She never thought too much of her off-hand comments about him being ‘too pure for this world’, or being ‘a lost puppy’, but the implication had started to dent his self-esteem. She might as well have called him a dumbass. He thought the world of her. She was going to be his first and last. He adored her for her protectiveness and concern, but he felt, or she made him feel, that he was weighing her down. She was slowly slipping away. 

Finally, as the silly arguments happened too often, one eventually broke out into a full blown confrontation. He was doing his best to live up to her expectations; to her, it was a smothering need for constant validation. “No shit”, he had said to her, “You never made me feel that I’m good enough.” He brought up what he really thought of her—she was becoming too judgmental for her own good.

She proved his point when she dared to bring up his past. Something about displacement and other psychological bullshit to make herself sound smart as usual.

It was a lost cause. He drank himself into a stupor and was late for training the following day. It was the only blemish in his otherwise pristine record at the academy. He thanked the stars that it had happened way earlier, as he couldn’t have imagined how it would have turned out if he was late, heartbroken _and_ hungover on his first day at work... and encountering _this._

Now Ada— he was pretty sure that she’s judging him behind those dark sunglasses. He was absolutely sure that she would’ve belittled him more than she already had, except he wasn’t worthy of her insults. An FBI agent would have a world of reasons to be cautious, Leon thought. But shouldn’t his uniform be enough to convey trust? He couldn’t read her exactly, which frustrated him a bit, but only a fool wouldn’t be able to feel how she reacted to his presence: a crescendo of sheer annoyance. Like he was weighing her down. He’d been there before. Different circumstances, same shitty feeling. 

Then came his valiant speech at the gun shop. A father refused to abandon his daughter despite knowing that she was beyond saving. He couldn’t help but feel the anger, the sadness, the love, the _jealousy_ , all of the emotions swell up from within his chest. That’s what being a parent is. That was true love. That was worth fighting for. 

It was him baring his emotions— something he was naturally good at— and a plead for her to let him in on the plan to end what had forsaken the city that he had sworn to protect. _Put your faith in me._

It worked. Off they go, together, to hunt down the person responsible for the whole mess, and albeit her keeping him at arm’s length, she opened up, and he knew Ada cared. She had saved his life twice after all. 

Still, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off—

...

...his eyelashes fluttered, awakened from a fleeting dream. Slowly, reality crept back in. He immediately looked at his throbbing shoulder. It was bandaged, the sleeve of his uniform torn, her trench coat draped over him. 

Now she’s saved him three times. She’s cold and dismissive. Calculating. _Distant._ But a good person. Maybe, just maybe... some people are just that way. 

He got up with a new found determination and decided that he made the right call liking her the moment they left the gun shop together. 

~

Those who say hello always say goodbye, in one form or another. 

He’d experienced it in various ways. Sudden and unexplained. Slow and eroding. This last one he couldn’t find the perfect description for just yet as he sat in the platform between two train cars, ID bracelet in hand. It was the instrument to their success in their mission— except they were working on two different missions all along.

Maybe it was the desperation of having the company of anything other than rotting stench and ravenous hunger that made him push aside the waving red flag during the cable car ride. Perhaps something more. He was missing her and hated himself for it.

Needless to say, when she pressed her soft lips to his, laid her hand against his thigh, and looked him in the eye to say, “I want to see you again”, intuition was pleading with him to pull back. _Something isn’t right, this is too good to be true, you don’t want to get hurt..._

Nonetheless, he carried on with the task. _Benefit of the doubt._ He had asked for this. He had earned her trust and in turn she had given him a purpose. He was going to bring justice to what happened to Raccoon City. He’d take no credit for it, but credit was never in his mind in the first place. He was doing it for the thousands that perished. For justice. And partly.. for her. Because as telling is the fact that he still had to convince himself to trust her... god, he wanted it to be real. 

What followed was essentially the shit hitting the fan.

When she dropped the gun she was pointing at him, he was reaffirmed that there was a good person in there. As to why she had chosen to do what she does, why she used him... he was going to figure it out later, because he realized that the plan— _his_ plan— had not changed: they were going to escape this nightmare together. Even if that meant putting her on handcuffs. 

But then fate had a different plan for them, and he was forced to hear a goodbye that was final. 

~

He often found himself admiring Claire from afar. She would always catch him looking at her with a dumb, wishful smile on his face, and she would make fun of him. He let himself get caught every time. 

It took a bit of time to reach this level of comfort again after that one night. The release was a great relief for both of them, but the aftermath left him in a tangled mess. A million thoughts plagued his head, all tapping on the realization of what he meant to her— and the fear of losing her. He wouldn’t know how to deal with it. Not after everything.

Maybe he was in love with her too. He couldn’t help it— she made it too easy. 

She had reached out to him that night and promised to be there for him. And he believed her with his whole being.

No, he wasn’t being a fool this time. 

He’d seen her fierce protectiveness of Sherry as if she was her own. She never judged him for his altruism, nor took advantage of him for having too kind of a heart. She made him feel valid and cared for. Invincible. 

She would never abandon them, he’d bet his life on it. 

~

_His wound was festering. Over the counter medicine and frequent cleansing could only stave off an impending serious infection for so long. A few weeks more and he would probably lose his arm._

__

_Sherry on the other hand was losing weight and getting sick often. It was expected given their circumstances, but nonetheless sent them into a subdued panic. They couldn’t help but worry if it had anything to do with the virus._

__

_Claire was the only person in decent shape. She had remained their beacon of hope in the last few weeks of constant fear. She realized that this was because of her brother. He is alive and out there. But the realization came with a price: she still has to find him, a plan that does not, and can not, include Sherry or Leon._

__

_She had tried so hard to think of ways to break it to them gently, little by little. She ended up empty-handed every single time. Suddenly the weight of being their source of strength felt heavy on her shoulders. It seemed that their luck had ran out. Lately she found herself staring into the void, being distant._

__

_Of course he noticed._

__

_When they finally asked her what’s wrong, she knew better than to lie to them. So she told them the truth. She was already going to break their hearts, so why not go all in?_

__

_She braced herself for the inevitable part of actually carrying out the plan— but, to her surprise, he took the burden off of her shoulders._

__

_He pushed her away._

__

_They were walking near the edge of a small hill. They had been on foot and left with nothing for days. A sick Sherry was slumped over Leon’s good shoulder. Below, they spotted a small rural town; on the opposite side of the unpaved road, a forest. Above them, the sky was a depressing glow of dark orange and purple._

__

_“There has to be a clinic or a small hospital we could take her to”, she remembered saying. “And your shoulder...”_

__

_They exchanged a knowing look and the rest happened in a swift blur that was too painful for her to fully recall._

__

_“Leave us alone. You’re looking for your brother, right? Just go!”_

__

_For what seemed like forever she was at a loss for words. She didn’t realize that she was holding her breath until Sherry broke free from Leon and ran to her to give her the tightest hug. “I hope you find your brother, Claire”, the poor girl sobbed. “And after you do, you’ll find us, ok?”_

__

_She refused to cry at that moment. She turned the opposite direction, facing the wilderness, but not before she looked at him, her blue eyes fixed upon his. Both unblinking. No smiles, no tears._

__

_There was nothing exchanged except for the betrayed look on his face and the unwavering stare she gave back. She couldn’t fulfill it now, but she had no intent of breaking her vow that fateful night. And she made sure he knew that from the look in her eyes._

__

_“I’ll be back. I promise!”_


End file.
